Sewn Raglan Shirt, Tunic + Dress
Just like old friends, I look forward to meeting my tried-and-true sewing patterns time and time again. This Sewn Raglan Shirt, Tunic + Dress Pattern is sure to become one of those sewing table favorites!
This one pattern includes pattern pieces and instructions for three distinct garments that all share raglan-sleeve shaping, an elastic neckline, a smart back-button closure and a simple, clear construction.
But, because every favorite pattern let’s you play with key design decisions, so does this one. You get to choose straight or cinched, short or long sleeves, all one fabric or contrast fabrics and a Shirt, Tunic or Dress length.
It would take a lot of sewing hours to explore all the possible combinations!
I sewed up three here but I plan to bring the Sewn Raglan Shirt, Tunic + Dress Pattern to my sewing table all year long! – Corinne
Update: New Fabric
JUNE 15, 2015
We’ve paired the Sewn Raglan Shirt + Tunic with Purl Soho’s new + lovely Linen Grid fabric! To see more photos of the happy couple, check out our Sewn Raglan Shirt + Tunic in Linen Grid story!
Update: New Fabric
JANUARY 2015
Want even more reason to bring this pattern back to the sewing table? Check out our Sewn Raglan Shirt, Tunic + Dress in Lana Cotta Canberrra story, which includes pattern updates for working in this unique felted wool.
Materials
Please Note: A few fabrics we used for this Pattern are no longer available. For a full list of current offerings, click here!
For the Shirt, we used…
- Main Fabric: Kiyohara’s Kokuchi Double Gauze Dots in Silver Grey
For the Tunic, we used…
- Main Fabric: Robert Kaufman’s Railroad Denim in Slub Stripe
- Contrast Fabric: Liberty of London’s Tana Lawn in Blue Emilia’s Flowers
For the Dress, we used…
- Main Fabric: Kiyohara’s Kokuchi Double Gauze in Navy
- Contrast Fabric: Robert Kaufman’s Cotton Linen Chambray in Indigo Washed
You will also need…
- 1 yard of ¼-inch elastic for the neck
- Optional: An additional 1 yard of 1/4–inch elastic for the cuffs
- At least 4 inches of ¼-inch ribbon for the button loop. We used Carta Inc.’s Fettuccia Ribbon in Natural.
- One ½-inch button. We used Purl Soho’s Medium Buttons (size 19) in Pastel Grey.
- Cotton thread to match fabric
- An 18mm bias tape maker
- A Bodkin or safety pin
- Please Note: The Sewn Raglan Shirt + Tunic Pattern is no longer available for purchase. For assistance, please contact us at customerservice@purlsoho.com.
Sizes
Pattern
I can’t wait to try this! Nice pinstripe matching.
I’d really like to see these on a real person. I worry that they might be too voluminous or too shapeless, which is not what I’m looking for.
Hi Sandra –
I appreciate your concern! The fit is designed to be roomy enough so as not to require any dart shaping, but not baggy. We will hopefully be able to post an image of someone wearing one of the garments on Instagram this week. This should give you a better idea of the fit.
Thanks!
Corinne
I am in love….I am so impressed with everything you make. But this really made my heart beat faster.
Love this! I have sewn a few garments, want to do more, and this looks perfect. Are there directions on how to match up the stripes on the body and arm in your pattern or a tips section? Or is this a technique that I need to google search…..I’m not familiar with how to do it and I love that fabric combo on your LS tunic. Thanks!
Hi Emily –
Thank you for writing in! I’m so glad you like the pattern. Unfortunately we didn’t have room to include directions for lining up the stripes in the pattern, but I can give you some general tips here! First, and particularly if you are new to matching prints, I suggest getting a little extra fabric to make sure that you have enough in case if any error. For this particular pattern, and depending on your print, getting the stripes to match up in the front and back would be quite a feat! For this reason, I suggest using a contrast fabric for the back to avoid any unnecessary headaches or hair pulling!
From the striped fabric, cut out the Front piece first, centering the stripes as best you can and making note of where the stripe lines start at the neck edges of the raglan curve. Then, working one Sleeve at a time, lay the Sleeve pattern piece on the fabric, lining up the neck edge of the Front raglan curve so that it starts with the same section of striping as on the Front piece. The stripes will not match those of the Front piece along the entire curve, but they should start at the same point at the neck edge. Cut the Sleeve pieces out of the fabric.
When pinning the Front raglan edges of the Front piece and Sleeves together, make sure that the stripes meet up for the first 3 inches down from the neck edge. This may require some manipulation of the fabric, and the raw edges of the curves may not meet up exactly. Don’t worry. As long as you sew with one smooth seam, this should not affect the fit at all. Again, the stripes will not meet up all along the curve, just for these first 3 inches. Sew along the curved edges as described in the pattern.
I hope this is clear and helps as you are putting together your garment! Please let me know if you have any other questions as you sew!
-Corinne
These are AMAZING. How do you get the pinstripes to match up?
Hi Sarah –
Thank you for your kind words about the pattern! Here are some tips for matching up the stripes along the raglan curve:
First, and particularly if you are new to matching prints, I suggest getting a little extra fabric to make sure that you have enough in case if any error. For this particular pattern, and depending on your print, getting the stripes to match up in the front and back would be quite a feat! For this reason, I suggest using a contrast fabric for the back to avoid any unnecessary headaches or hair pulling!
From the striped fabric, cut out the Front piece first, centering the stripes as best you can and making note of where the stripe lines start at the neck edges of the raglan curve. Then, working one Sleeve at a time, lay the Sleeve pattern piece on the fabric, lining up the neck edge of the Front raglan curve so that it starts with the same section of striping as on the Front piece. The stripes will not match those of the Front piece along the entire curve, but they should start at the same point at the neck edge. Cut the Sleeve pieces out of the fabric.
When pinning the Front raglan edges of the Front piece and Sleeves together, make sure that the stripes meet up for the first 3 inches down from the neck edge. This may require some manipulation of the fabric, and the raw edges of the curves may not meet up exactly. Don’t worry. As long as you sew with one smooth seam, this should not affect the fit at all. Again, the stripes will not meet up all along the curve, just for these first 3 inches. Sew along the curved edges as described in the pattern.
I hope this is clear! Please let me know if you have any other questions about the pattern!
-Corinne
Do you have plans to photograph this on a model? It would be helpful to see how it looks on a real body. Thanks!
Hi Lily –
Thank you for writing in! We will hopefully be able to post an image of one of the garments on a person on Instagram this week!
Thanks,
Corinne
How’s the fit on these? I.e. if my bust size is actually 31, should I go size up or down (considering it may be kinda loose). Thanks!
Hi Claire –
This is a great question!
The garment is designed with a straight, relaxed cut that is roomy enough not to require any dart shaping, but is not meant to be baggy. When determining which size to make, particularly for you, right on the cusp of sizes, I recommend using the Finished Garment Measurements as your guide rather than the Body Measurements. The size for a 28-31-inch Bust would give you 5 inches of ease. The size for a 32-35-inch Bust would give you 9 inches. I think both would look and feel great, but it will depend on the type of fit you’re looking for. The smaller size will be closer fitting, whereas the larger size will give you a bit more room.
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions as you are working on the pattern.
-Corinne
I really Iike this simple design. I go to a lot of workshops and not only is this easy to slip on but it is smart and practical. I particularly like the way the raglan stripes line up.
Very well done
Hi, I LOVE this shirt idea, but a few questions–
1. i am always cold, so i’d love to make it in one of the wools (either the wool felt or the lana cotta). would those be too thick, especially considering the elastic neck? or would one of the flannels work better?
2. i noticed a seam along the back of the tunic–would it be possible (advisable)? to do an exposed zipper? Or would that fudge up the ease in the neckline?
Hi Paige –
I’m so glad you like the pattern!
The pattern would be beautiful (and so cozy!)in the Lana Cotta Canberra or the Shetland Flannel. I worry that the Mary Flanagan Felted Wool may be too thick for the neckline casing. One of the amazing things about the Lana Cotta, because it is such a fine, felted wool, its edges do not need to be finished and they will not fray. If you do end up making it in this fabric, you could experiment with making the neckline bias strip at half-width and only making one center fold, leaving the edges raw. This would eliminate any extra bulk. You could also leave the bottom and sleeve edges un-hemmed, if you wish.
As for the zipper, I can’t think of a reason it wouldn’t work, but I haven’t tried it, so I cannot guarantee the fit. You would need to do a bit of adjusting in the pattern to make it work. The way it is designed now, the neckline is gathered with elastic and an elastic casing. If you were to add a back zipper, you may want to reconsider this and make sewn gathers at the neckline with a bias finish without the elastic. Instructions for this are not included in the pattern, but if you feel confident working out these changes, I think it could look great!
I hope all this helps!
Happy sewing.
-Corinne
thanks! all that info helps a lot!
Hi Paige –
I wanted to let you know that we have done an update of this pattern in the Lana Cotta Canberra felted wool! Just as you intuited, it turned out beautifully! You can see photos of all the garments and detailed instructions on how to adapt the Sewn Raglan Shirt, Tunic + Dress pattern to this unique fabric on the post page.
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2015/01/28/sewn-raglan-shirt-tunic-dress-in-lana-cotta-canberra/
Happy sewing!
-Corinne
Hi!
I am interested in buying the pattern and making the dress with long sleeves. However, I am not clear as to how much fabric I will need. Is it 4 1/4 yards of the main fabric and 1 yard of the contrast?
Thanks as always!
Tunesia
Hi Tunesia –
I would love to help you figure out your yardage!
Can you tell me what size you want to make and if you would like to add the optional contrast sleeves?
Thanks!
-Corinne
Hi Corinne!
I would like to make a size small tunic with contrasting sleeves identical to the one in the pic.
Thanks!
Tunesia
Hi Tunesia-
Thank you so much for your interest in this pattern! The fabrics we used for the Tunic are listed and linked under the “Materials” section of this story (scroll to where it says “For the Tunic we used…”)
Thanks for getting in touch and please let us know if you have any more questions!
Best-
Molly
Hi Tunesia –
The yardage for this style in size small (32-35 inch bust) would be 2 1/4 yards of a 44-inch wide main fabric or 2 yards of a 54-inch wide main fabric, and 1 yard of a contest fabric in any width.
I hope this helps!
Corinne
Thank you!
Hi again!
The Kokochi Double Gauze is noted as a 40-42 width fabric and pattern mentions a 44 width. Will the 2 inches make that big of a difference?
Thanks,
Tunesia
Hi Tunesia –
Because you are working the size for 32-35-inch bust, the small difference in width shouldn’t matter at all. If you ever end up making a larger size (40-43 or 44-46-inch bust) you may want to get an additional 1/4 yard just in case.
-Corinne
Love this pattern! How would you rate this project for someone who has just started sewing garments? Thanks!
Hi Jen –
Thank you for your kind words! I’m so glad you like the pattern.
I think this is a great project for someone new to garments, or even new to sewing! All of the piecing is straight forward, and all of the steps are illustrated with full color, instructional photographs. I would say the hardest part is the bias tape neckline casing. Attaching bias edging takes some patience and practice, but it’s a great skill to master! And, if you do decide to take it on, you can always come to us for help!
Thanks!
Corinne
I made the size small, thinking it might not fit for me another month as I am currently 9 months pregnant. Imagine my surprise when the small was insanely baggy on even my heavily pregnant frame. I ended up taking it in by six inches just to wear as a maternity dress. Obviously I’ll need to take it in even further after giving birth. It would probably be a good idea to post some pictures of real people wearing this, as I don’t think that we’re all on the same page about what constitutes “baggy.”
Hi Carey –
I am so sorry that the sizing did not work out for you. The garment is designed to have at most 8 inches of ease for any of the sizes, so the fact that you were able to remove 6 inches of width and still wear it as a maternity dress does sound excessive!
Did the finished measurements of the garment you made match with the finished measurements given in the pattern for your size?
-Corinne
I had a similar issue.
I cut for the 38-40 size (I have a 39″ hip) but I measured across the pieces lying flat before sewing because they looked really big.
It is supposed to measure 42″ around when sewn.
Just measuring across the unsewn front pieces, the measurement from edge to edge was 23 -1/4″. Removing 1-1/4″ for 5/8″ seam allowances on either side, this is actually 22″across / 44″ around.
I pinned everything together to see what it would look like with the extra couple inches, how big a difference could it be? It was a tent; also the bust is the same width as the hip and 44″ around on a 36″ bust was unwearable. I’m going to recut for the next size down. Hopefully this will be enough.
tl;dr
The pattern cuts and sews up larger than the stated finished size.
Does the pattern include the seam allowance or not? Thanks!
Hi Jacquelyn-
Yes! All of our patterns include seam allowance unless otherwise noted.
Thanks for your question!
Molly
Love this pattern. I plan on making the shirt in a linen, but am making the dress out of a lovely soft flannel as a night shirt.
Hello, I am getting ready to cut the fabric for this dress but am hesitating between the x-small and the small. I have a 32 bust and 37.5 hips, so normally I would go ahead with the small, but I read the comments and it seems as though the finished dress runs larger than expected so am wondering if I should sew the x-small – but in this case, would it be too small in the hips? I made the wear anywhere tunic last year in the size 23-25 and it is wearable but disappointingly a bit baggier than I would have liked. Thanks you in advance, you input is appreciated as it is always a bit nerve-racking cutting into liberty fabrics!
Hi Pastille,
Thank you for writing in! Sizing choices can be a bit tricky. We do provide finished measurements here for the garment and we hope that that helps with the selection. The finished bust and hip measurement are the same. For your measurements, you would be choosing between 36 and 40 inches for the smallest or the second size. Alternately, you could also make what is called a muslin. You would use an inexpensive fabric (traditionally a muslin but you can use anything that you have available) and then try it on before cutting into the Liberty. I frequently do this when making clothing for myself where I am using more expensive fabrics. I find that this helps me to decide on size and fit!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Hello, I am ready to cut some Liberty fabric for this dress but am hesitating between the x-small and the small. I have a 32 bust and 37.5 hips, so normally I would go ahead with the small, but I read the comments and it seems as though the finished dress runs larger than expected so am wondering if I should sew the x-small – but in this case, would it be too small in the hips? Or would the small be too big in the bust? I made the wear anywhere tunic last year in the size 32-35 and it is wearable but disappointingly a bit baggier than I would have liked. Thanks you in advance, you input is appreciated as it is always a bit nerve-racking cutting into liberty fabrics!
Hi Pastille,
Thanks for writing in! Based on your measurements and the intended fit, it seems like the second size would work best for your measurements. That said, when working with pricier fabrics like Liberty, I always make a muslin out of less expensive fabric that I either have in my stash or a muslin fabric to make sure that the fit will be what I am expecting! I would encourage you to do this here and cutting into Liberty can be a bit nerve wracking and a muslin should ease your mind that you are picking the correct size!
Best,
Cassy
I’ve looked everywhere, but can’t find a picture of this dress on a person. It looks beautiful on the hanger, but given the shape, I am concerned it doesn’t look good on a real person. Can you please post some pictures with human models? Thanks.
Hi Jill,
Thanks for writing in! We do have one modeled picture on our Instagram of the dress made up in Lana Cotta Canberra. I will pass along your request for more pictures to the design team, but you may also be able to find a few reviews with pictures by searching “Purl Soho Sewn Raglan” in Google!
Best of luck and happy sewing!
Julianna